• This Week in Gaucho Softball
UC Santa Barbara will host its final 2012 home series this weekend against Central Coast rival Cal Poly. The three-game series will open with a noon doubleheader on Saturday, May 5 and conclude with a single game on Sunday at noon. Prior to the first pitch of the series finale, UCSB will honor its five seniors: Krista Cobb, Lainey DePompa, Jenny Liepman, Brooke Putich and Allison Taylor.

• Weekend Rewind
The Gauchos suffered just their second Big West series loss last weekend at the hands of UC Davis. The Aggies won game one, 4-2, before battling through nine innings to take a 4-3 win in game two. UCSB fought back on Sunday and thwarted UC Davis' attempt at a sweep with a 2-1 victory. The pair of losses marked the first consecutive defeats for the Gauchos in Big West play this season and their first back-to-back losses since late March when they dropped a pair of 2-1 games to Sacramento State and Fresno State, respectively.

• For The Record
With just six games remaining on its regular season slate, UCSB currently stands at 24-28 on the season. The Gauchos have the potential to post their first 30-win season since 2008. In Big West play, UCSB currently holds a 9-6 record.

• Wild, Wild Big West
With two weeks to go, UCSB currently occupies fourth place in the Big West standings. The Gauchos are one game behind third-place UC Davis (10-5) and trail first-place Long Beach State and Pacific (11-4) by two games. Pacific and UC Davis meet this weekend while Long Beach State heads to fifth-place Cal State Fullerton (7-8). The top finisher in two weeks will garner the Big West title and the league's automatic berth into the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

• Mustang Musings
Cal Poly enters this weekend with an overall mark of 12-31. The Mustangs have won just one league series this season, against Cal State Northridge (2-1). Cal Poly is amidst a four-game skid after being swept by Pacific last weekend. The Gauchos won last year's series at Cal Poly, sweeping the Mustangs in the three-game set.

• Drama Queens
The Big West season has been dramatic thus far with seven of the Gauchos' 15 games being decided by a single run. In those contests, UCSB has posted a 4-3 record. Another three games have been decided by a two-run margin; the Gauchos have gone 2-1 in those pairings.

• Wisdom Claims New School Record
Freshman Shelby Wisdom stamped her name in the UCSB record book last weekend as she posted her 19th win of the season, making her the Gauchos' all-time single season wins leader. The hurler surpassed UCSB greats Krista Cobb, Jennifer Davis and Sandy Ortigies, who were all tied with the previous program-best of 18 wins. Wisdom also tied Davis for 10th in single season complete games (23) and is fourth in single season strikeouts (206); she needs 28 more to surpass Davis' 2006 school record.

• A Little More Wisdom
Wisdom, who is 19-14 on the year, currently ranks 50th in the nation for wins and first in the Big West. She also leads the league in innings pitched (227.2), appearances (44), starts (31), and batters struck out looking (55). She is second in strikeouts (206) and fifth in ERA (2.52). In league play, she is tied for first with UC Davis' Justine Vela with nine wins and is fourth in league with a 1.55 ERA. Her bat is also leads the Gauchos; she has compiled a .344 average in Big West play to go along with a team-leading 11 RBI and .563 slugging percentage.

• Speedy Soria
Wisdom isn't the only Gaucho climbing the ranks in the single season records. Junior Jessica Soria currently ranks eighth in stolen bases with her team and league-leading 19. The outfielder also leads the Gauchos in hits (48), which ranks fifth in league, and is tied with Kathryn Pilpil in runs (23). She has reached base safely in 22 of the last 23 games.

• Moving On Up
Junior Keilani Jennings is making her mark in the UCSB career record book. She is eighth in doubles (29), fifth in home runs (20) and is ninth in RBI with 78. Jennings leads the Gauchos in doubles (10) and walks (24), ranking fourth in both categories in the Big West standings. The junior has reached first base safely in 21 of the last 23 games and is amidst a season-best five-game hitting streak.

• Take A Pilpil
Sophomore Kathryn Pilpil has been extremely effective at getting on-base, posting a team-leading .379 on-base percentage. The second baseman has reached safely in 22 of the last 23 games, a span in which she has tallied 15 hits and 19 of her 24 walks. She is tied for first on the team in runs (23) with Soria and is second in hits (39). Her 24 walks are tied for first on the team with Jennings and fifth in the league.

• The Galicinao File
Now in her fifth season at the helm of the UCSB softball program, head coach Brie Galicinao has coached the Gauchos to a 122-140 record for a .466 winning percentage, the second best since the softball program went Division I in 1982.

• Taking On The Best
The Gauchos have played 11 games against teams in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and NFCA Top-25 polls and have played another four games against teams that were receiving votes at the time of the contest. UCSB has gone 2-9 in these games. The tough schedule is reflected in the Gauchos' ranking as No. 98 among all NCAA Division I programs in the NCAA's Rating Percentage Index. UCSB has the second-best RPI in the Big West behind Pacific, which is ranked 85th.

• Next Up: The Final Homestand
Following this week's final homestand, the Gauchos will travel to Cal State Northridge to wrap-up their regular season slate with a three-game Big West series on May 11 and 12.

• Don't Miss A Minute Of The Action!
To purchase tickets, visit the Athletics Ticket Office in the ICA Building on campus, call (805) 893-UCSB or click here to purchase online. The entire series will be broadcast by KCSB 91.9 FM. To listen live and watch live stats, click here.

Additionally, UCSB will welcome the Goleta Valley Girls' Softball Association to this weekend's games. Players will receive free admission if they wear their team shirt and accompanying parents will get into the games for $3.